


A Different Life

by LittleSweetCheeks



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Future, HEA For Some, Moving On, Multi, Nervousness, PTSD, bad day, what if
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-29
Updated: 2019-02-07
Packaged: 2019-10-18 22:08:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 18,543
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17589287
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleSweetCheeks/pseuds/LittleSweetCheeks
Summary: It was a case that would change everything, but some things just don't change.





	1. The Day

**Author's Note:**

> Each chapter will be a time skip from the last. Each chapter will be made up of separate drop-in moments of most or all of them.

“Is he okay?” Emily leaned one shoulder into Rossi’s as she took a sip of her wine. The pair of them were staring across his back yard, eyes on the lone form standing at the edge of the woods. The case had fallen apart in a way their cases very rarely did and while it had hit them all hard, it had shaken their leader the hardest.

“I really don’t know.” Dave sighed. “I haven’t heard him utter a word since the fire.” His face may have looked closer to passive, but his eyes, they couldn’t disguise the sorrow he felt for his friend. “It’ll be a hard one to bounce back from.”

“Guys.” Both agents turned around to the voice as JJ continued. “The food’s ready.” She gestured to the table. “Someone get Hotch?”

Dave glanced back toward the trees. “I think it’s best if we leave him be for now.”

With a sad nod, the women followed him to the table to eat.

The meal was subdued, but the team tried their best to cheer one another up, all trying hard to ignore the empty place and their teammate still standing in the distance. The wine flowed enough that they began to find small things to laugh about, it was during one of those moments that they all looked up to see Hotch hovering just at the edge of the shadows.

He chewed his lower lip as his team, his family, fell silent. They were waiting for him now, as they always did. “I…” He wasn’t sure how to start, this decision would affect them all in a way. “I’m…” He tried to start again. Seconds ticked by as everyone waited. He couldn’t look up, couldn’t meet their eyes as he did this to them. “I’m formally putting in for my retirement… On Monday I’m dropping off the paperwork to Strauss.” He spoke slowly, pausing to carefully to draw a steady breath. “I’ve been weighing it in my mind and… It’s what I need to do, what’s best for me.”

Silence stretched across the lawn after his soft declaration. Some part of him thought they would all jump in to talk him out of it, he wasn’t entirely sure if he wanted them to at least try, but no one said a word.

“I’m… I’m sorry, I’ll miss you all terribly, but I know you’ll do just fine without me…” He glanced toward the house, toward freedom from being the center of their attention like this. “I need to get home, good night.” Near-silently, Hotch turned and left, leaving the remainder of the team to process in his wake.

“He’s really leaving us?” Garcia eventually asked.

“You weren’t there, Baby Girl.” Morgan took her hand in his. “I get it, and… I can’t say the thought hadn’t crossed my mind as well.”

There was another lapse before Rossi joined. “Retirement’s not all that bad, and he’s got Jack to keep him busy enough. He’ll find something to do with himself and who knows, maybe one day he won’t have nightmares anymore.”

“Did your nightmares stop after you retired?” The question came from Reid.

Rossi’s nod was slow, contemplative. “Eventually.” He watched the youngest of their group purse his lips together in thought. “What is it?”

“I never considered that they might ever go away.”

“Spence?” JJ’s brows knit together.

“This job… Part of why I’ve always ignored the headhunters was because I figured I’d always have the nightmares. If they were going to stay then what’s the point of leaving, you know? I never… I never considered anything else.”

“And now?” Morgan asked.

“There’s so much I want to do that I never really had a choice about.” He tapped his fingers on the side of his wine glass. “And it’s not like I’m in it for the great pay and benefits really. Or, they’re no better than I can get elsewhere and there’d be a whole lot less being shot at.”

“I know what you mean, Man, every time I have a sit-down with my accountant, we look at how much money I’m making off the houses and I’m barely doing it part-time.”

Emily took a sip of her wine and set the glass down. “Mother sends me contacts for people all the time, private sector jobs that would use my specific skill set and such. They’re less irritating than the eligible bachelors she also sends me.” She finished with a smirk. “Though I think I’m at a point in my life where being the wife of some millionaire willing to just let me do my own thing doesn’t sound so bad anymore.”

Rossi winked and raised his glass. “Just say the word, Em, and I’m your guy. No expectations, no fuss.” He grinned as the others laughed.

“Keep laughing, Old Man, I might just take you up on that.”

“It would be my honor.”

“I get job offers too, you know, it’s just…” Garcia took a breath. “They’re not always the most legal job offers.”

“You can’t go back to the dark side, P, we’d all miss you too much.” JJ leaned into her shoulder. “I’ve been asked to teach over at Georgetown more than a few times.” She lifted one shoulder. “The number in the offer letter is always way more than I ever expect to make doing this. And like Spence said, less being shot at.”

There was more silence as each of them thought about those offers and what their lives might look like once the horrors of their jobs were passed on to someone else.

“So… Everyone has options if they resign?” Garcia finally asked in a soft voice. She watched them all nod. “But… What happens to our family?”

“We’ll have normal hours, Pen. When was the last time any of us managed a month without plans being interrupted?”

“Yeah.”

==

Monday morning, Hotch was surprised to see the look of resignation, and maybe some small amount of irritation, on Strauss’ face when he showed up, paperwork in hand. “Ma’am, I’ve decided it’s time for me to take that retirement and be with Jack, start a new chapter in our lives.”

“I understand.” She took the envelope with a slight snap. “But was it necessary to take the entire team with you when you went?”

“Ma’am?”

She glared at him a moment, taking in the way his brows pulled together in honest confusion. “You don’t know?”

“Know what, Ma’am?”

Opening a drawer, she pulled out six envelopes and spread them out on her desk. “Aaron… Your team filed in here this morning, one by one, each one asking me not to mention it to any of the others.” She looked up at him. “Each of them has resigned effective the end of the week… You really didn’t know?”

He shook his head. “No.”

Strauss sighed. “I tried but each of them said they already had other work lined up and to not try and talk them out of it.”

“I… I had no idea. I haven’t talked to them really since the end of the case Thursday night.”

It was her turn to be confused. “But didn’t you all go to David’s to unwind?”

“Yes, but I wasn’t in the mood, so I left early. Ever since the case ended, I had been weighing the idea of retiring and… Friday night I’d finally decided it was what was best for Jack and I.”

“Did you tell them?”

“Just before I left, I mentioned it, yes. But I didn’t stay to discuss it or anything. And I haven’t heard from any of them since.”

==

The bullpen had been empty as he’d headed to his office, not at all odd for the hour of the morning, but if his team had dropped their letters off to Strauss, they had to be around somewhere. Eventually, at all the correct times, the wandered in as if there was nothing unusual about the day. Through his blinds, Hotch watched them as they shared banter, settling in as they always did, there was no hint of what he knew.

Halfway to lunch time, Hotch looked up when someone knocked on his doorframe.

“Got a minute?” Dave gestured generally at the chairs.

“Yeah.” Hotch folded closed the file before him as Rossi shut the door and took a seat.

“After you left Friday night, I got to thinking and I thought on it all weekend. You know, I came out of retirement partly to help when the team needed it and partly because I had some unfinished business. But… This job, it’s a younger man’s game. I think the reasons I came back have passed. The team has matured, they each have their feet under them now in a way they didn’t really in the beginning, and my ghosts, well, most of them have been put to rest.”

“I see.”

“I stopped in to see Erin this morning, I told her not to say anything because I wanted you, everyone, to hear it from me. Aaron, I turned in my resignation paperwork. I’m headed back to retirement after this week.” The room lapsed into silence as he finished.

Hotch drew a breath slowly and then held it a moment, gathering his thoughts. “I didn’t mean for what I said to make you want out as well.”

“But you have put in for retirement, haven’t you.” It wasn’t a question.

“Yes, this morning. I’ll probably stay on long enough for a new unit chief to be selected, so I’m not entirely sure how much longer I’ll be around.”

“They’ll have a laundry list of viable applicants banging at the door the moment they announce the vacancy. There are people who would kill for your job, but I think the entire campus came to the decision long ago that you were a lifer.”

“Yeah, well, things change.” He stared down at the file on his desk. “What do you plan to do once you retire?”

“Aw, I don’t know. Travel some more, maybe go for a few months to Italy again. Probably write a book or two. Maybe find a fourth Missus Rossi.” He smirked, appreciating when his friend smiled softly as well. “Come on, Aaron, retirement isn’t so bad. You get to make plans with Jack and know you can keep them. You can work on your appalling golf swing.”

“You’re getting forgetful, it’s _your_ swing that’s appalling. More than that, it’s downright criminal.” His grin was wide now.

“Well, be that as it may.” Rossi stood and turned toward the door. “It’s all going to turn out fine and… if you don’t mind, could you not mention it to the others just yet?”

“Yeah, sure.”

==

Morgan glanced around the bullpen. The others had all left for lunch already, he’d managed a well-timed phone call just before they left that worked as his excuse not to join them. He had other plans, namely, talking with Hotch about his plans. Taking the stairs quickly, he knocked on his boss’s door. “Hey, Hotch? You got a minute?”

==

It was late as Hotch finally sank into the wingback chair in his bedroom. It had ended up being a much longer day than he’d expected as, one by one, each of his team had come to him to share that they were leaving and what their plans were for the future. Most of them hadn’t surprised him, he knew Morgan was great at restoring homes and Reid made for a very charismatic teacher, but the idea of JJ working at a university, that one was a bit harder to process, and then Garcia, well, he wasn’t really surprised she was so sought after he supposed.

With a heavy sigh, he began to shed his suit and ready for bed. It was official, there was no turning back for any of them now, their family was breaking apart, moving on. He was going to miss them.


	2. Six Weeks

“Hey, you!” JJ startled and whirled around as someone touched her arm, taking a moment to connect the familiar face with this new place.

“Spence! What are you doing here?”

A bright grin split his face as he tugged on the strap of his messenger bag. “I had offers from several schools, you know, but I didn’t really want to move. I’m settled here. So, I called them all and now I’m officially working here teaching as well as working with the university in Vegas and one in Boston teaching remotely. It’s great.”

She shook her head at him, chuckling. “Three schools in three different parts of the country?”

“Hey, it’s a better schedule than before, right? I mean, there’s still travel, once I month I go out to Vegas for an office day for students to talk to me in person and the same to Boston, but it’s… it’s good.”

“You sound happy. So, I guess technically we’re working together again then?”

“Yeah. So, how is the new job going?”

“Busy. I came in after a reshuffle and the last person wasn’t big on organization and planning three steps ahead, so there’s been some long hours just getting a system in place everyone can live with. I really wouldn’t have thought a university would have such a high need for a media person, but I’m learning it does.”

“So, no time for teaching?”

“I have already been asked to do a guest lecture related to having worked in the BAU.” She frowned a bit. “It still feels a bit too soon. I was wanting a break from that for a while.”

“I get that, and me too. I think I get at least one email a day asking for a guest lecture or something, but I’m not really interested in diving back in yet.”

JJ got a contemplative look for a moment. “If you ever do feel ready, we could do them together?”

“That sounds good.” Spencer glanced around at the people coming and going. “Were you headed to lunch?”

“Yeah.”

“Mind if I join you?”

“Sure. Come on, Spencer, you can fill me in on something I don’t know.”

==

==

“Just hear me out!” He insisted with a grin. “I was thinking, this is a beautiful idea!”

“Come on, Rossi, you can’t be serious! I was kidding when I said that!” Emily lifted her wine glass to her lips.

“Em, I’m retired and I’m just rattling around in this house here doing nothing. Sure, I have books I can write and trips I can take, but I’ll be doing that all alone. And that doesn’t sound like too terribly much fun. And you know me, you know my tells and my faults.”

“All of them.”

“Yes, all of them.” He rolled his eyes playfully. “Your mother would get off your back and you’d be able to be your own woman.”

She placed her glass gingerly on the counter. “So, what? I become the fourth Missus Rossi?”

He shrugged. “Or maybe you stay Emily Prentiss, you seem to be doing just fine as her already. The name thing isn’t important to me.” Dave sighed. “Em, these past few weeks since we all resigned… I realized that no matter how much I grumbled about seeing way too much of all of you, I miss it. And then I realized as I was cataloging the memories that crept up, they always were involving you. I’m not saying I love you, but I do miss spending time with you.”

Emily didn’t respond right away. “So… What would this arrangement look like?”

A fresh grin twitched at the corners of his mouth. “This house has an entire apartment suite off the back. I guess it was meant as a mother-in-law’s quarters or something. I haven’t done much with it, but it has a single garage and everything. It’s one option. You can be around me or have your own space entirely separate from me.”

“And the other options?”

“Uh, there are several guest bedrooms upstairs, they each have an en suite, we’d share the kitchen and living space, but you’d still have your own room.”

She thought a minute, eyes glancing to the old dog asleep on the floor. “How does Mudgie feel about cats?”

==

==

“I’m sorry, Miss Garcia, you’re resume is quite interesting, but I fear you may be a bit over qualified for this position.” The human resources director peered across the desk. “May I ask why it was that you left the Bureau?”

Garcia drew a calming breath, doing her best not to fidget. “I was ready for a change. I sort of fell into that job, but the content of what I had to do, it was hard. I needed something different.”

“Well, I can understand that.” She placed the soft pink resume on her desk and eyed the young woman before her, dressed nearly conservatively, in a black blazer and skirt, but in brightly colored platforms and wearing what looked to be a dozen bracelets. “But it doesn’t change the fact that I think this job would be beneath your skillset. And we couldn’t offer you anywhere the level of pay you’re used to getting. I’m sorry, Miss Garcia.” She repeated again. “But it was nice to meet you.”

Swallowing back tears, Penelope stood and thanked the interviewer, carefully making her way to her car. “Don’t let them see you cry.” She whispered to herself under her breath. “You’re made of stronger stuff than that.”

Driving home, she couldn’t help but calculate how many more rent payments she’d be able to come up with before the lack of a job would land her in homelessness. “Why’d I leave? I feel so alone, this is stupid, I’m talking to myself! Come on, Garcie, pull it together, you can do this. You are a strong, independent woman. You are unique and you see the good in the world and you should never change and…” She hiccoughed a small sob. “And you miss your family and you feel so alone and…” Putting her car in park, she grabbed her phone out of her back and punched in some numbers. “And you know just the person who can get your head on straight again…”

==

==

“Derek!” Joe was grinning as he bounded out of the house and up to the beat-up old truck. “Come look, I think it’s done!”

Derek climbed out and followed his lead foreman into the latest house they were renovating. “These door frames came out nice, Man. They did a great job recreating that bit we found in the attic.”

“I know, right? Teo and the guys have an eye for it.”

“That they do, Man. So, how did the bathroom upstairs come out?”

“Come see for yourself.” Joe clomped up the wood stairs, talking as he walked. “So, you’re serious about picking up the pace on these houses then?”

“Yep. I’m in it full time now, I’m thinking our goal should be six to eight weeks start to finish on each house.”

“Staggering start?”

“Do you think the crews can handle that?”

“I should think so. And the profit we’re pulling, that’s a decent paycheck coming in nice and regular. Regular work and pay will keep them loyal to you, you know.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“And Teo needs that.”

Derek stopped his inspection of the bathroom and turned to Joe, who had a grin on his face. “Why you say that?”

“His girl, Dana, she’s knocked up.”

“No way! Teo finally got something right!” He laughed.

“And he’s making it righter, he’s looking to propose, but he wants to be able to support her proper.”

“Okay, you tell him, I’ll keep the work coming in.”

“I will.”

“And tell him congrats too, in case I don’t see him for a bit.”

“Okay.”

As Derek turned to head back through the master bedroom, something out the window caught his eye and he stopped and stared.

Joe slapped his friend’s shoulder. “I see what you’re watching. She runs by here at almost the same time every day.”

A look of surprise and intrigue in his face, Derek glanced to Joe and then back to the woman. “And you ain’t told me? How’d I not know about this?”

“Bad timing my friend. But I’ll tell you a secret, she does a loop, she’ll be back through in about thirty minutes.”

Thirty minutes later, Derek was leaned against the hood of his truck, a fresh bottle of water in hand as he watched her approach. He gave her his best smile. “Water?’

The woman hesitated, looking around before stopping. “Sure, thanks.” She took it and swallowed some.

“I’m, uh, I’m Derek. I’ve been renovating this place.”

“It looks good. Savannah.” She offered her hand to shake. “You’re the general contractor then?”

“Me? No, that’s Joe, I’m the ideas guy.”

Her eyes ran over his dark blue tee and worn jeans. “I don’t think I’ve seen you around before.”

“Well, until a couple months ago I had a different full-time job, but I retired from that and decided to do this full time.” He leaned a little closer. “And what is it you do?”

“I’m a doctor.”

“Wow, brains and beauty.”

==

==

The garage was clean, the attic was clean, the guest room was clean, and he was itching to start on Jack’s room, but his son shot him a death glare of impressive proportions everything time he tried to get close to the bedroom door. He needed to find a better way to fill his time and fast. The yard could use some work and it probably wouldn’t hurt for the outside of the house to get a wash, but that would only fill a couple more days. Attempting a fresh shot at trying to clean his son’s room was thwarted when his phone rang. “Hello?”

“I’ve been told I’m insane.”

Aaron pulled the phone away long enough to glance at the ID screen. “Dave? Yes, you are in general, but why now?”

“I asked Emily to move in with me.”

It took him a moment to wrap his mind around that. “Why?”

Dave shrugged, even though he knew his friend couldn’t see it. “Why not?”

“You aren’t going to try and marry her, are you?”

“It wasn’t the plan, why? You have a problem with that?”

“Three ex wives says it’s a bad idea.”

“Eh, but she knows all my faults already. I don’t have to worry about being a good person around her.”

“… She’s already moving in, isn’t she?”

“Maybe. I offered her the separate apartment, but she decided she would prefer being in the main house.”

“Dave…”

“What? Think about it Aaron, this is a perfect setup, we both can go about our lives as we wish, we get the companionship when we want it, and neither of us have to worry about the other only being after our money.”

All Aaron could do was sigh. “If this blows up in your face, I’m automatically taking her side.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence, Aaron.”

“So, you said she knows about all your faults already, you told her about the case in Buford then?”

“No, and I know you’ll never tell her either. Leave Buford in Buford, that was the deal.”

Aaron couldn’t help but laugh.


	3. Three Months

Will took the dirty plates from Spencer and put them into the sink full of water. “The house across the street is for sale, ya know, you should have a look at it.”

“Why do I need a house?”

“Well, you’d be closer for carpooling with Jen and you’d be able to have Henry over when you wanted. And, I’m assuming you’ll want a family eventually?” He gave him a grin. “But really, that house is a good financial move. It needs work so they’re selling it cheap. Jen said Derek’s full time in the renovating trade now, you could have him take a look at it, do it up for you. I’m telling you, you’d love it.”

“You’ve already had a look?”

“I did. The realtor was over there yesterday, and I wandered over, she let me look around. The owners converted the attic into walk-up storage, so it almost has a third floor. They kept a lot of the character.”

Spencer thought a minute. “I suppose I could call Morgan and see if he has time to look it over.”

“That’s the spirit. Now, I believe Henry said he was promised a magic show and cupcakes.”

==

Several days later, Morgan climbed out of his truck and started up at the house before turning to his friend. “Wow, Reid, I never woulda picked you as a guy to go for this kinda house.”

“Is there a problem with it?”

“No, Man, it’s wonderful. Let’s get inside and see how it looks.” The pair headed in as Derek made notes. “So, I know you said it’s across from JJ and Will, any other reasons you’re after a house like this?”

Spencer shrugged one shoulder. “No reason really. Will pointed out that JJ and I carpool a lot and this would make it easier, he also pointed out it would mean more time with Henry.”

Derek turned to him with a grin. “It’s a good family house in a good family neighborhood.”

“Yeah, he mentioned that also.”

“So, any ladies at the new jobs that catch your eye?”

“No.” He shook his head.

“Any guys catch your eye then?” He couldn’t help the chuckle when Spencer gave him a stunned look. “Come on, Pretty Boy, you really think we all but lived together for that long and I wouldn’t figure out you swung both ways?”

“I, uh, I…”

“Look, I’m going to officially say this out loud, right now. I do not care. I want you happy. If happy is a little lady to keep you on your toes or a guy to keep you warm, I do not care. I know it’s all about the brains for you anyway.”

“I, uh, I…” He babbled again.

Derek patted his shoulder, guiding him to the stairs. “C’mon, let’s go see if we can find any reasons you shouldn’t buy this place.”

At the upstairs landing, Spencer found his voice again. “Derek?”

“Yeah, Man?”

“If… Do you think everybody knows?”

“Spencer.” He used his first name to hold his attention. “We were profilers.” He waited but got no reaction. “Yes, we all know.”

“Oh.”

“And, as you’ll notice as you review all our interactions and overanalyze like I know you will, you will notice, none of us care. JJ and Will still named you Henry’s godfather and leave you with him, Hotch has left you with Jack dozens of times.”

“Being gay or bi doesn’t mean I’m into kids.” He shot back, voice heated, indignant at the implication.

“That’s not what I meant. What I meant was, Henry and Jack, they are their most treasured things ever, the one thing in the world they hold in higher importance than anything else, even themselves. My point is, being left with them means they trust you absolutely, they don’t trust the boys to just anyone.”

Spencer thought a minute. “I guess you’re right.”

“I am right. Now, let’s go see what this attic looks like.”

==

JJ brought out drinks, watching Spencer and Henry in the yard with a grin, Will and Derek was sitting on the deck talking.

“Yeah, I met her outside the house we were finishing up. I took her on two dates so far.”

“Wait.” JJ interrupted. “Is the great Derek Morgan dating?”

“Yes, Mama.” He pulled out his phone and pulled up a picture. “I landed myself a doctor.” Everyone chuckled.

“Wow, looking to be a kept man then?”

“Maybe, maybe.” He laughed.

“Oh!” JJ waved for Will to scoot over so she could perch on the arm of his chair. “I talked to Em yesterday, you’re not going to believe this!”

“What’d she do now?”

“She’d moved in with Rossi!” She shared. “I know they joked about it, but he up and asked and they discussed it and as of yesterday she’s officially moved in! I mean, she moved everything a few weeks ago, but her lease finally ran out so it’s now properly official. She can’t back out without having to go through the whole process of finding a new place.”

“So, are they dating then?”

“No, nothing like that. She made it sound more like a friends thing, but she jumped at the chance to tell her mother, you know what their relationship’s like. So, apparently, she called and asked if they could go to dinner, told her she had news to share. She led with the fact she was moving in with a millionaire that she’d known for some time, really got her mom’s eyes glowing about the whole deal and then finished off with the name.”

“And how did the ambassador take that?”

“You mean, how did she take that her daughter has moved in with a man almost the same age as her parents? Like a lead balloon I imagine. Em didn’t share much of that part, but she did say she asked her what was wrong and isn’t it what she always wanted for her daughter, to find a rich man to spend her life with, being cared for.”

Derek shook his head. “She’s somethin’ else.”

“Yeah, well, apparently the ambassador got off a parting request, she wants to formally meet Rossi.”

“That can’t be that bad, he’s good at puttin’ it on and charming the ladies.”

“Yeah, well, I guess she added to that that she wants to ask him about his plans for a family, given his advanced age and all.”

“Oo, ouch. That’s one dinner I’m not sure whether I want to be a fly on the wall for or not.”

“I know, right?”

==

==

“I’m a failure.” She wailed, the wine in her glass sloshed dangerously as she waved her hands. “I checked in on everyone and I’m the only one who couldn’t find some new life!” She gulped down some more before the glass was pried out of her grasp.

“I think you’ve had enough.” Aaron couldn’t help the smile on his face at Garcia’s dramatics. “And I’d like to point out that Dave and I neither have jobs.”

“But neither of you _want_ another job! And Rossi doesn’t count because he still has his books and you both got retirement packages to live on and I’m not nearly pretty enough to get away without paying rent and I need something that isn’t going back to the darknet.” She stopped to draw a breath.

He was thankful that he’d had enough forethought to have Jess take Jack for a sleepover. Granted, she’d given him a smirk when he’d mentioned that Penelope was coming over, but he could deal with that another day. “I’ll help you figure something out, okay? You have a wealth of skills, surely there is someone out there looking for them.”

“They say I’m overqualified, then they make faces at me or just act like I’m totally a nutjob and it’s ridiculous and I just want to be able to move on with my life!”

“Okay, okay. Give me a list of what you’ve applied for so far. Maybe I can give you some reference letters that will help.” She reached for her glass that was in his hand, he deftly pulled it out of reach. “You really don’t need any more.” He couldn’t help but chuckle when she began to pout. “I’ll help, but no more drinking until we’re done.”

“Fine.” She huffed, pulling out a pad of colored paper and a bright pen.

A thought occurred to him as he moved the wine glass and bottle into the kitchen. When he returned, he asked. “What does your resume look like?” He waited as she dug one out and handed it to him. “Gar- Penelope, I hate to say this, but I am probably the only boss you will ever get who doesn’t bat an eye at the pink paper. I think we need to start by reprinting this.”

“But…white paper is so…boring.”

He held out a hand for a flash drive he knew she would have on her, waiting until she placed it in his palm before pulling out his laptop and looking her paperwork over. He frowned as he read what it said. “I think we need to re-word this.”

“Which part?”

He looked at her a moment. “All of it.”


	4. Six Months

“Emily! Are you okay!” Dave was panting for breath as he ran through the house. “Emily?!” She had to be there, her car was in the garage. “Answer me!” He shoved open doors, not caring, until he found her in her bathroom, doing her best to clean herself up as tears rolled down her face. “Hey.” His voice went soft. “Hey, let me help.” He tried to pull to wet rag out of her fingers, but she yanked it away angrily. “Talk to me, Em. I only, I just got a call saying something had happened and to get back here, no details.”

She opened her mouth to speak, but a fresh sob bubbled out instead. “I feel so stupid.”

“You’re not stupid.”

“Mudgie and I were out jogging and-”

“Mudgie was jogging?” He cut off, glancing at the old dog laying in the bedroom watching them.

Emily nodded. “We go all the time. We cut through the park and get some trails and I, uh, I let him off his leash. This huge dog appeared out of nowhere and starts growling at us, it had to be twice his size, but Mudge got between me and it and growled right back. I was so worried I was about to see your dog get killed, I was trying to get him to back off and…” She drew in a ragged breath. “I didn’t even see the guy. It wasn’t even on my radar that there could _be_ a guy. Next thing I knew something hard hit me in the back of the head and I was on the ground.”

Dave felt his blood start to boil, his face twitched. “Did he hurt you?’

Her eyes finally met his. “Not, no, not like that. We fought, he got in a few good hits, but I guess he decided it wasn’t worth the trouble and he took off. The dog was his, it took off after him.”

He wasn’t sure what to say. “Let me help.”

She hesitated a moment before nodding and setting down the cloth and moving her hair aside. “Six stitches. I can feel the blood and ick caked on it and I can’t wash my hair.”

“What else?”

Emily turned her face fully to him and let his see the bruising, she didn’t flinch when he adjusted the edge of her shirt to follow bruises down her neck and arms. “I know it could have been worse, but…”

“No, you were attacked, you were victimized, you are not any less because it could have been worse or anything else.” He gestured to the tub. “How about I help you with your hair? When you’re cleaned up, you’ll feel a bit more yourself.”

==

Emily was wrapped in fluffy towels, sitting on the edge of her bed as Dave looked over her injuries for further care. “Dave?”

“Hmm?”

“Who told you?”

“Huh?”

“Who told you?”

“Uhh, Will called me. He said JJ was in the middle of something that he couldn’t interrupt at work and he took a chance that I wouldn’t be.”

“Oh.”

There were several minutes of silence. “You could have called me. I mean… I was worried when he called instead of you. He couldn’t give me any details and I… My imagination was filling in the blanks.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be.” He stood straight and collected the supplies he’d brought it. “I’ll make some dinner.” He started to call Mudgie to follow him but stopped himself. The old dog had tried to protect Emily, he couldn’t blame him for it. He’d make sure there was some extras left for him tonight.

==

Emily jerked awake with a gasp. She could feel the man’s hands on her, the way he’d gripped her throat as he’d tried to subdue her. Her own imagination had taken it further, imagining what could have, would have, happened if she’d lost the upper hand. Tossing back the covers, she shuffled to find a drink, something to calm her nerves. Rossi’s dog stayed close to her heels as she moved through the big house. A peripheral glance at her own reflection in the big windows the overlooked the back yard made her jump and gasp. There was no way she was getting any more sleep tonight.

Shuffling back to her room, she peeked in and saw Dave sleeping peacefully. She wrapped her arms around herself, wishing it would be okay to just crawl into the king-sized bed beside him and have the feel of another person with her. It sounded silly, even in her own mind, so she turned to head to her own room.

“Em?” Dave’s voice was rough with sleep.

“Sorry.” She whispered, vanishing back into the darkness.

“Wait. Can’t sleep?” He waited for a response, knew she was still standing in the darkness. “Em.”

“Yeah.”

“Come here.” He tossed the covers back and waited. “Em, please? If I know you’re up all night, I’m not going to get any sleep.” She appeared in the shadows of the doorway.

“I didn’t mean to wake you.” Gingerly she settled into the bed, surprised when he didn’t just roll over, but instead wrapped her in his arms.

“Rest a bit, I’m here.”

==

From his spot at the bathroom sink as he brushed his teeth, Dave could see Emily as she slept, Mudgie in the bed beside here where he knew he wasn’t supposed to be. He shook his head as he rinsed his mouth. “Spoiled mutt.” He muttered. It had been a restless rest of the night, Emily’d woke several more times, but he’d held her close and reassured her until she drifted off again.

Exiting the bathroom in only a pair of jeans, he dug through a drawer looking for a shirt until he felt like he was being watched. Turning, he looked into a pair of brown eyes watching him. “Morning.”

Emily felt a blush creep up her cheeks. Whatever she’d expected of the morning, it hadn’t included this feeling of domesticity as she lay in bed and watched Dave get ready for the day. “Morning.”

“I’m going to go start the coffee. Please remind that dog that he’s not supposed to be on the bed.” He added with no heat and a small smile.

“I’ll talk to him.” She watched him pull his shirt on before leaving the room. Stroking Mudgie’s ears, she spoke aloud to the dog. “You haven’t told him then that you’ve been sleeping in my bed all this time, have you?”

In the hall, Dave smiled at her words. He knew the dog had taken to Emily, but then dogs always were a good judge of character.

==

==

“Yes, Ma’am…. Yes, Ma’am. Miss Garcia was an asset to my team, I’m being wholeheartedly truthful in that. She has a drive that is hard to find… She kept the same hours as the team, even when it wasn’t required… Yes, Ma’am, I am aware she has a very high level of skills, but she eagerly embraces any task she’s assigned, again, that’s what made her such an asset.” Hotch couldn’t help but to impatiently tap his pen on a notepad. “Ma’am, if I, may I ask a question? You seem to have some reservations… I see… Yes, I understand… Well, if you have any other questions, please feel free to call me.” Once the line disconnected, he tossed his phone to the side.

“And?”

Aaron looked up at where Jessica was watching him from the kitchen doorway. “I can’t understand what people are so worried about when it comes to hiring her.”

“Temp agency not working well?”

“From what I can gather, the work is fine, it’s the _temp_ part that’s the problem.”

Jessica’s brows furrowed. “Didn’t she have offers like the rest of you?”

“She doesn’t want more government work or anything similar. Sure, she’s had a few private security places, but to her it’s more of the same thing. I don’t even ask about the black hat side of the offers, I’m certain she gets plenty of those as well.”

“She’s decided she prefers being legit.”

“Yeah.”

“What about teaching? Surely she has skills that schools would love to have in a professor?”

He tilted his head at her. “Are we talking about the same Penelope Garcia?”

Jess laughed. “I’m serious, Aaron.”

He sighed. “Me too.”

“So, about you now.” She changed the subject. “Are you serious about this idea of starting a law firm?”

He was back to tapping his pen on the notepad. “Maybe.”

“What sort of law?”

“I’m not sure I could handle family law and there’s now way I could do criminal defense.” He shook his head. “I’m not sure yet.”

“Well, who would you like to help?”

“Victims.”

“Of?”

“Abuse, violence…so often we could see in a suspect how their life led to that point.”

“So, figure out how to help them then.”

“Yeah.”

She leaned in a bit. “And it seems someone who was trying to do that, they would need a skilled researcher who could do their job on the quiet.”

He looked back up at her in confusion.

“Penelope, Aaron. You know her skills, you know what she’s capable of.”

“Oh.”

She shook her head as she turned back to the kitchen. “And you’re not put off by her wardrobe either.”

==

==

JJ skipped along beside her friend excitedly. “Come on, Spence, I saw the way she was looking at you! Are you seriously saying you felt nothing?”

Spencer did his best to lengthen his stride so she couldn’t keep up, but JJ had too many years of experience in keeping pace with people taller than her for it to work. “No, I’m sorry.” He chuckled at the face she pulled. “I swear, I am not planning on spending the rest of my life alone, but Professor Leenah just isn’t going to be the future Missus Doctor Reid.”

“But Henry needs a playmate.”

“At his age, any child I had would be the next one’s playmate more than his.” He teased. It took him several strides to realize JJ’d stopped walking beside him. “What?”

“Will told you?” She asked, incredulous.

“Told me what?”

“About the baby. He told you?”

“Uhh, what?”

“You just said any baby you had would be the next one’s playmate. I can’t believe Will told you! He swore he would let me do the announcements!”

“Hey! JJ!” He caught her arms to keep her from spinning off into an angry fit. “I have no idea what you are talking about, okay? Will hasn’t told me anything about anything. Are you saying you’re pregnant?” His eyes roamed over her.

“Oh.” She bit her lower lip. “You’re serious. You were just making a general comment.”

“Yes.”

“Oops.”

“Oops?”

The corners of her mouth pulled down. “Um, yeah. Soo… I found out last week?”

It was Spencer’s turn to have his eyes light up. “Congratulations!” He wrapped her up in a hug. “I’m so happy for you guys! Does Henry know yet?”

“No, I wanted to make sure we were through the uncertain bits first.”

“I understand that.” He stepped back and carried on their path. “I can’t believe you really thought Will would tell me before you could. I’m totally going to tell him.” He grinned.

==

==

“Head’s up!”

Derek jumped back just before a board toppled over right where he’d been about to walk. “Joe? You okay, Man?”

Joe’s head popped around the wall. “Yeah. Was just trying to get this sorted out so the guys could do their thing.”

“I’ll help then. I came down to tell you that the house sold, the one on Cherry. We got over asking.”

“Awesome! I knew that upgrade in the finishes would pay off.”

“Yeah, listen, so I was thinking. Since it’s a bonus on that, I was thinking of giving it to Teo as a bonus. From what I’ve been seeing, he’s been bustin’ his ass.”

“He has, yeah. First in and last out and even finishing up on Saturdays when it needs it.”

“Normally I would just put the extra back in, so we have more funds to work with.”

“Well, it’s your money, Man, and it’s always nice to have extra for when surprises happen.”

“But I was thinking that a bonus might help him get ready for that baby. And the way I see it, an investment in the crew is still an investment in the company, right?”

“Yeah. If it’s how you want to roll.” Joe shrugged. Both men turned when someone called out from the front door.

“In the back but watch your step!” Derek called out. He grinned when Savannah came into view. “Hey, you.”

“Busy?”

“Always.”

She looked around at the rooms coming together. “So, is this the one for your friend?”

“It sure is. And he’s more like my baby brother.” Derek checked his watch. “Actually, I think he’s about due to stop by soon, maybe you could meet him.”

“Wait, I’m finally getting to meet some of this family you talk about?”

“I think you’re ready.”


	5. Nine Months

 Will followed the sound of giggles through the house until he found his son in the large back sitting room on the floor being tickled by a giant stuffed puppy. “Hey guys.”

Henry and Spencer both looked up from the floor.

“Whatcha doing?”

Henry launched off the floor at his daddy. “Daddy! Spence was teaching me about how puppies play!”

“He was, was he? And why was he doing that?”

“I asked him about getting a puppy and he said we had to learn all the things about caring for one first.” He squirmed until Will put him down. “We got books! There are big puppies and little puppies and this one has curly fur! Look, Daddy!”

“Who, exactly, is getting this puppy?” He stared sown at where the other man was grinning, still sitting on the floor.

“Henry’s been asking, and I know you and JJ have a lot on your plate right now. I have this back yard for the first time, so I figured why not, you know? I have a nice, consistent schedule and Henry here’s getting big enough to help learn responsibilities and care for it.”

“You’re serious about this?”

Spencer stood and brushed dust off his slacks. “I am.”

“Somehow I never pictured you for a dog person.”

“Yeah, when I was younger, I gave off a vibe and dogs tended to get anxious around me, but all’s well now.”

==

==

Dave lay in his bed, thinking. Flat on his back, propped up by pillows, the fingers of one hand lazily stroked through Emily’s hair as she slept tucked into his side. And that was the thing he was thinking about, it had been three months since Emily had been attacked and while he was more than willing to let her have all the time she needed, it was starting to mess with his head having a woman in the bed beside him every night, cuddled int him. During the day, they both went about their lives as normal, spending time together and doing their own thing, but when it was time to retire, they automatically crawled into one bed.

Emily shifting against his shook him from his thoughts. She rolled onto her side, draping one arm and leg across his body. He couldn’t help but wonder what this thing was they were doing, this dance of domesticity.

“Em.” He gently scratched her scalp, making her purr and arch back into his hand. “Em.” He whispered again.

“Hmm.” She hummed.

He waited until she finally blinked her eyes open. “Hey.”

She studied the look on his face. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. I just… I was just thinking, wondering… What is it we are doing?”

“Doing?”

“This.” He restarted stroking her hair, holding her closer. “I think we’re more domestic now that I was with any of my wives.”

“Do you want… I can go back to my own room…”

“No, stay, please? I mean, if you want to. I just…” He sighed. “Sometimes it just feels like it’s going somewhere more and sometimes it feels like it’s all in my own head.”

“Well.” She pushed up on one arm. “I like where we are so far. It feels comfortable and you’re right, it’s domestic. Like we’ve been doing this for years.” She chewed her lip. “Could I… Could I try something?”

His eyes roamed her face, looking for a clue. “Anything.” A moment later, she was leaning nearer until their lips brushed together. “Oh.” He breathed.

“Was that… Was that okay?”

His answer was to use the hand still buried in her hair to pull her close again, crashing their lips together this time. When they finally came up again for air, they were both panting. “It was perfect.” He whispered in answer.

==

Aaron coughed in the mouthful of beer he’d been trying to swallow. “You did what?” He stared at his friend in surprise.

“I kissed Emily. I mean, come on, Aaron, she’s been sleeping in my bed for three months.” He was cut off by Aaron’s beer bottle landing on the table with a hard thump. “Oh, guess you didn’t know that.”

“Dave…”

“We’re going to talk about it, we agreed to that, before anything else happens. But we connect, you know? And kissing her was, my dreams can’t hold a candle to that.”

Aaron’s head was in his hand now. “Honestly? I’m surprised it took the two of you this long.”

“You are?”

“Dave. You have a thing for strong, independent women, frankly it’s half of why you pay three alimonies. But you and her, I think the years of the job and such will be an advantage.”

“So, what? This is your blessing?”

“If things go south, I’m still backing her, but yes.”

Dave smirked. “So, I’m thinking about having a party, maybe a sort of housewarming slash general celebration. We’re moving on, the lot of us. Finding normal lives. JJ and Will are giving Henry a little brother, Derek has been in a steady relationship for a while. We all have good jobs, well, most of us. What have you decided to do?”

“I’m going to set up my own firm, I’ll take some pro bono work as well as paid cases. I’ll have a legal investigator and such to dig into things.”

“Interesting. So, you’ll be hiring staff then?”

“A secretary, eventually. But I already have the investigator, I’m going to pay for the additional coursework to get them up to where they have to be.”

Dave arched a brow. “You already have someone picked.”

“I’m hiring Garcia to do it, I think it’s right up her alley.”

“I bet.”

==

In true form, it only took Dave a few days to throw together a wonderful party. Aaron was again standing at the end of the lawn, this time watching the kids playing in the grass. Emily bumped shoulders with Dave. “Déjà vu.”

“I was just thinking that. It’s been, what, nine months?”

“Almost ten.”

“He’s in a better place, I think.”

“We all are. I think we just didn’t realize how bad of a place we were in before.” She rested her head on his shoulder. “I know we haven’t had a chance to have that talk you wanted, we’ve been busy with our own things and I think I’ve been avoiding it a bit.”

“Why?”

“Because I wasn’t sure what I wanted.”

“And… now?”

Emily sighed. “I was talking to JJ earlier and then Morgan and I realized that when I think about myself being happy like they are, I picture you as a part of it. I mean, I don’t picture the whole picket fence and two point five kids, but the being together?” She trailed off. “How about you?”

“I discussed it with Aaron.” He smiled when her brows shot up. “He’s a great barometer for how bad my ideas are.” Dave wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “He said he wasn’t surprised, that we fit well together, and that if it all blows up in my face, he’s automatically taking your side.”

She couldn’t help the laugh that burst out. “Some friend!”

“Yeah, well. He’s seen me through some really bad ideas.” He looked up as Hotch began walking their way.

“So, are congratulations in order then?” The younger man asked once he was close enough.

Emily chuckled. “I guess you could say that, yes.”

“It looked like you were having that sort of conversation.”

“I think we just agreed to make a go of it, though I’m not entirely sure yet what that looks like.” Emily’s eyes roamed their group. “So, if we’re pairing off, then Derek looks pretty serious about Savanah and JJ has will. Now we just need to find someone for you, Reid, and Pen.”

“Ah.” Aaron stopped her. “I think I might know of something on that front.”

“What?” Her eyes sparkled in eagerness.

“I took her with me to look at some office space. I wanted to know if one of the rooms would work with the computers and such for her. While I was handling the realtor, she went to have a look around the area. I found her across the street at a bakery, talking very closely with the baker who owns it.”

“And?”

It was his turn to sigh. “I signed the paperwork for the lease yesterday, she celebrated by spending the afternoon with Kendrick in his kitchen… The store was closed.” Both men flinched as Emily bounced on her toes, clapping her hands before taking off to find her friend. “Will I regret that later?”

“Probably.” Dave shrugged one shoulder. “So… That leaves you…perpetually single.”

“I’m happy with things as they are, Dave. I don’t have some urge to find a woman to fill my life with.” He waved at the group spread across the lawn. “I have plenty of female company when I want it.”

“But not the right kind of female company.” Dave sipped his wine. “I’ll figure out something for you, give me time.”

“Dave…” He trailed off as his friend walked away.


	6. One Year

Will shuffled into the nursery and picked up his newest son. “Come on, Mikey, why no sleeping? Huh? You’re killin’ Momma and Daddy here.” The newborn kept wailing as his father carried him back to the master bedroom. “Jen.”

“Yeah.” She barely opened her eyes as she rolled over and took the baby. “Was Henry up this often?”

“I can’t remember. Probably some mental block that helps us think having another one would be a good idea.” He yawned and sat on the edge of the bed. “I am bone tired and have to go back to work in the mornin’.”

“I can go take him in the nursery.”

“And sleep where? The floor? I’ll go sleep on the couch, you stay here in the bed.”

“No, Will, you need your sleep.” Her phone buzzing on the side table cut her off. “Two in the morning, who in the…” She read the screen. “Spence says you are welcome to his spare room.” She pressed redial and called him.

“I swear I wasn’t being creepy.” Spencer answered as a greeting. “I was up with Oso and saw the lights come on. Michael still not sleeping through the night?”

“No, he’s not.”

“I appreciate the offer.” Will leaned in. “But as much as I could use the sleep, I can’t leave Jen here with both boys alone.”

“I’ll come there. I’m tomorrow anyway. I’ll crash on the couch.”

“Spence…” JJ started.

“Come on, Will. Oso will keep you company.” Spencer petted his dog, a mixed breed that was mostly a light tan but had darker patches around his eyes. Henry had instantly called him Oso, and the name had stuck. “Just one night.”

Will thought about it a minute. “What do you think, Cher?”

JJ shrugged. “You need sleep.”

“Okay. I’ll see you in a few, Spencer.”

“Okay.” Reid ended the call.

==

==

Derek waited at the front door for Savanah to answer. “Wow.” He breathed. “You are beautiful tonight.”

“Aww, thanks. You’re not too bad yourself.” She patted at the jacket of his suit. “It makes a change from seeing you dress down to work most of the time.” She collected her bag. “And thank you for being so willing to be my plus one at this thing.”

“It’s no problem, you came with me to that evening at Rossi’s place.”

“But that was family, this is work. I mean, it’s decent food and a bar, but some of the other doctors, well, you don’t need stellar social skills to get a medical degree.” She giggled. “It will be nice to have you there to talk to in any case.”

Derek led her out to his car, closing the door for her once she was settled. “It can’t be that bad.” He put the car in gear. “I’ve been to Bureau affairs, talk about dull. I know working in law enforcement can make a person jaded, but man, I think some of them had no clue how to crack a smile.”

“I, um, you don’t talk about the Bureau much and I’ve noticed when we’re spending time with some of your friends, no one else seems to either.”

“Yeah.”

“Did something… It just seems odd maybe, you guys have that in common.” She chewed the corner of her lip. “I know everything else it seems about you, but not that.”

“Tell you what, you can ask me anything and I will answer you honestly. But I’m going to tell you, there may be times I ask to wait until we are at your place or mine before I answer it, okay?”

“Yeah, sure.”

“There are parts of that life that I just can’t discuss if other people are around.” He reached across and took her hand. “I think I’m falling in love with you, Savanah, I don’t want to head down that road by keeping secrets from you or hiding things, but some of the things… There’s a reason it was next to impossible for agents who worked in the department I did to maintain relationships.”

“Okay.” She nodded. “I understand. Can I ask one question tonight though?”

“Shoot.”

“Was it something catastrophic that made you all walk away at the same time?”

Derek thought about it for a minute. His mind wandered back to Rossi’s back garden almost a year to the day prior and he felt the mood from that night weigh on him. “Looking back now? No, it wasn’t a big thing. But in the moment? I think maybe it wasn’t so much that we couldn’t fathom it getting any worse, but that we really feared it would.”

“Can you tell me about it?”

“We’d come home from a case in a series of cases, each one seemed to be more horrific than the last. We weren’t smiling, we weren’t coming together anymore like we used to. It didn’t feel like we were bouncing back.” He remembered the somber feel to dinner that night. “Hotch, Aaron, he announced he was retiring and the rest of us… We all really thought for the first time about what waited for us on the other side of that life.”

==

==

Aaron waited until he could hear the last client leave before he stood and came out from behind his desk. “Garcia, can you see what you can dig up on these next week? There’s something happening here that I’m being kept in the dark about.”

“Yeah sure.” She smiled up at him before her eyes glanced out the window and then back again.

“How is Kendrick?”

Her smile grew impossibly wider. “Great! He’s taking me out of town for the weekend! Our first couple vacation!”

“Where’s he taking you?”

“Up to New York, he says. It’s half a work trip for him, but I can tag along, and he wants my opinions on adding some new stuff to the shop.”

“I like the stuff he has now.”

“But he can get new, better stuff!”

“As long as he doesn’t abandon the apple turnover or steal you away from me completely, I don’t care.” He cheeked with a grin.

“Oh, he wouldn’t do that, I’d never leave you all alone with all this.”

“Well, thank you for that.” He tucked the final file away. “And as always, Penelope, thank you for all your help around here.”

==

==

Their relationship had been slow to build. From simply sleeping together to platonic touches and rare kisses. They were definitely comfortable with one another physically, but neither felt the push to take it further, there was no rush.

Emily kicked off her shoes, she’d been consulting at a company in Virginia all day and her feet ached. She loved the freedom of being able to do whatever kind of work she wanted now without making major commitments. In the next room, she could hear the shower running. Without much thought or planning, she crossed to the half open door, lazily shedding clothes as she went until she was only in her underwear, the rest of her things secured in the hamper.

The water turning off, Dave opening the shower door and stepped out, startled to see Emily in the bathroom almost naked. “Hi. I didn’t realize you were back.”

“Yeah. I was going to get a shower before dinner.” With practiced ease, she pushed the waistband of her underwear down and stepped out of them, dropping them in with the rest of her clothes before stepping into the still steamy shower stall.

Dave turned, still dripping, and openly gawked as she turned the spray on and began to get wet. There was something unexpectedly erotic about the very average way she did it. She wasn’t ashamed of her body, she knew full well he could see everything, but she wasn’t putting on a show either, she just _was_. And Dave approved wholeheartedly.

Fully soaked, Emily opened her eyes, startled to see Dave standing there watching, unused towel dangling in his fingertips. “Hey.” She drew his attention.

“I’m sorry.” He looked away and began to dry off.

“No, it’s okay, really. I mean, it’s okay with me if…”

He slung the towel around his waist. “We’ll… we’ll talk over dinner. I’ll get it started.”

“Sure.”

==

By the time Emily strolled into the kitchen, clean and dressed, the whole first floor smelled delicious. She stood in the doorway and watched him work, the way he touched the food as he prepared it, the way he checked on the pans simmering on the stovetop. His entire being radiated anxious worry instead of his normal relaxed calm. “I’m sorry, Dave, I don’t know what came over me.” She moved to the center island, not giving him a chance to jump in. “I guess we’re just both so comfortable around one another now that I didn’t really think about it.” She sighed. “But maybe we’re at a point where we discuss big, grown-up topics?” She smiled softly to let him know she was trying to break the tension. “You didn’t exactly go running and screaming from the room when I was standing there in the shower. Naked.”

“Why would I?”

“I would like to point out that I didn’t do that either when you got out of the shower.” She studied him a moment. “I’m okay with moving this to something more if you want to.”

“There are some things about me that maybe I should tell you about before we take that leap.”

“Like what?” She chuckled. “Yes, Dave, I know you have a list of prior partners. You did have a reputation after all.”

“Yeah, well, much of that was exaggeration. I never cheated on anyone, wife or otherwise, and many of the rumors of things I did, well, I’m sure you can guess which ones are things I wouldn’t do.”

“Yeah. There are a few, let’s see…” She thought a moment. “I can’t see you ever bedding junior level agents, much less more than one at a time.” She giggled when he pulled a face. “And I can’t really see you sleeping with a male subordinate either.” Emily looked up just as a split second of concern flashed through his eyes. “Wait! You did what?”

“Em, it was a really long time ago and it was…a situation, I guess you could say the whole thing was a casualty of that job. It’s not something I talk about, not because I’m ashamed for having done it, I’m much more forward thinking than my strict upbringing permits, but because the other party involved didn’t want rumors to run rampant.”

“Okay.”

“That’s it? Okay?”

“Yeah.” She eased into one of the chairs and relaxed as he took a much more relaxed sip of his wine. “I mean, so what if you and Hotch slept together years ago, we all have a past, right?”

Choking, Dave spluttered and coughed on his wine. “How the hell did you come to that conclusion?”

Her eyes sparkled with mischief and delight. “It would have been in your old FBI days and it was a subordinate. The only male subordinate you spent any time with was your own protégé, Hotch. And frankly, you two have spent the past half a dozen years wandering around like an old married couple, we’ve even called the two of you Mom and Dad on more than a few occasions.”

“I hate profilers.”

That made Emily laugh out loud. “Are we good now?” She asked once she calmed down.

“Yeah, I think we’re good.”

==

==

 

Spencer waited until Derek brought back the next round of beers before starting a new conversation. “Women at the college throw themselves at me.”

Momentarily confused by the new line of conversation, Derek paused. “O-okay.”

“I hate it. They’re all grabby. I wish would leave me alone.”

“Has something changed that this is bothering you now?”

Spencer shook his head at first, but then nodded.

“What’s changed?”

“Sometimes…sometimes I miss the old us, you know?”

“How do you mean?”

“We all just _were_ , we could be as familiar as we wanted with each other and there was never any pressure.”

It was a bit of an odd way to phrase it, Derek opened his mouth to reply, but stopped. “We’re closer now I think that we were before, right?”

“Yeah.” Spencer huffed, draining half his beer before studying his hands. “Have you ever stopped and wondered what our lives would be like, would any of us have even ever met, if we hadn’t all gotten into the BAU?”

“I never really thought about it.”

“I have. I never would have needed a contractor to renovate a house or would have been a godparent to two little boys or… ever would have given a lawyer the time of day, not after what my dad did. And now… now I can’t imagine my life without those things. Except…”

Derek thought it over. “You and Hotch used to have long talks, especially late at night when one of you couldn’t sleep.” He watched his friend drain the rest of his beer and then nod. “I might need you to spell it out for me, Pretty Boy.”

“I think I’ve been comparing everyone to him for many years and just never realized it.”

“Comparing as in…? Wow…”

“Yeah.”

==

Morgan had pressed him for a month, Spencer kept insisting that he simply didn’t share anything in common with his friend and former boss now that the Bureau was behind them. Not in the way he had other things he shared with the others. But Morgan had brought it up every time they’d talked until Spencer had relented and agreed to stop by. He didn’t want there to be anything official feeling about his dropping by, so Spencer opted out of visiting Aaron’s new office and instead found himself strolling up the side of the other man’s house one afternoon. The sound of a lawn mower running in the back yard gave him a clue as to where he might find the other man.

Right at the corner of the yard, Spencer stopped. Hotch was dressed in worn jeans and a faded shirt rolled up to his elbows, he had boots on Spencer had never seen him wear before. Aaron’s hair was still as short, but the sun gave it a lighter look. The clothes were well fitted and clinging to him in the heat, it was a reminder to Spencer that his friend had always worked out for the joy of doing so, not just because of the benefits it gave to the job, it stood to reason that Aaron had kept up the workouts into retirement.

He leaned against the side of the house and just watched the other man move until, feeling himself being watched, Aaron looked up at him and smiled. Spencer could feel a blush creeping up his neck and prayed that the shadows of the house hid it from view.

Aaron finished the yard and cut the engine, leaving the mower to cool. He crossed the lawn, pulling a cloth out of his pocket and wiping the sweat from his face as he made his way to his guest. “Hey. What’s up?”

Spencer smiled and ducked his head. “Nothing. I’m- I’m sorry, for just dropping by like this. If you’re busy-”

“No. Stay, please. I was done out here anyway.” Aaron reached out and gripped his bicep. “Come on in.” Once he got another nod out of the younger man, Aaron led the way into the kitchen and pulled out two glasses. “I have tea, water, and orange juice.”

“Uh, water’s fine.” He watched Aaron fill two glasses before passing one across and half draining the other.

“Do you have time?”

“Time?”

“If you can give me a few minutes, I’m sweaty, I was going to run up and grab a shower.”

“Yeah. Sure.”

Aaron finished his glass. “Make yourself at home.”

“Okay.” Spencer watched him vanish upstairs and blinked, wondering what to do next.

==

Spencer startled from the book he’d found when Aaron sat on the couch beside him.

“You like that one?”

“Uh, yeah. It’s much more interesting than I expected it to be.”

“There’s a whole series, I’ve ordered the rest of them. You can read them once they come in if you’d like.”

“But…don’t you want to read them first before I borrow them?”

Hotch shook his head. “You’ll get through them before me. So, what brought you by then?”

“Uh, nothing really. I guess I just realized that I do things with everyone else or see everyone else pretty regularly still and you and I… We don’t really have that much in common and…. I guess I felt like something was missing.”

“We have more in common than you think.”

“We do?”

He nodded slowly. “How many times did we end up catching dinner together and never talked about work?”

“Oh.”

“Jack is at a sleepover, I’d actually just dropped him off before I started the yard. If you want, we could go do something for a bit and then grab dinner tonight.”

“What kind of something?”

“How do you feel about skee-ball?’


	7. Fifteen Months

Even though they’d discussed it, Dave had still had reservations about their relationship crossing that line. Emily had slowly been wearing him down, however, by not seeming to worry at all that he was _accidentally_ seeing her naked on an almost regular basis. And then she was gone, off for a week and a half to help some former coworker in England and for nine nights in a row there had been no naked woman in his house, no warm body in his bed, no other person to feed and eat with and share his day with. And Dave missed it.

Mudgie clearly missed Emily too, the dog wandering through her room several times a day as if to check just in case she somehow snuck past him. At first, Dave had kept the door shut so Mudge didn’t get into anything, but after hours of the dog just laying by the door whining, he’d relented. It was a far cry, however, from Sergio, who didn’t seem to care who was or was not in the house so long as he was being fed on schedule.

Somewhere around day four, Dave had realized that he needed to suck it up and make the leap with Emily, it was what he really wanted. But it was the dream he’d had on day seven, the one that had left him waking up half hard with the memory of her spread out in his bed. Instead of taking matters into hand, he’d opted for a cold shower that had left his teeth chattering, but his prick no more relaxed, and then had sent off a text and had headed for the shooting range.

He was through two clips before Aaron showed up and took the booth beside him.

“Problems in paradise?”

“No.” He fired five more rounds, the circle so tight you almost couldn’t tell the holes apart. “She’s not even been there for almost two weeks.

“Ah.” Slow and steady as always, he fired his own gun, managing a single hole that all three bullets went through.

“Cocky ass.”

Aaron arched a brow.

“The way you do that. And what do you mean, ‘ah’?”

“If the problem isn’t here.” He emphasized with a shot to the chest. “Then I’m guessing your foul mood stems from here.” He made another shot, this time much lower.

“I never taught you to take a cheap shot like that.”

“No.” He chuckled. “There was an agent, it became a bit of a joke. She had a bit of an aggressive streak and… Actually, I’m really surprised the one she finally shot got to keep his. He would have deserved it, but then… It wouldn’t have been ruled a clean shot.”

Dave smirked. “For a year, or close to it, we have been together, and it took her leaving the country for me to realize I love her.”

“When does she come back?”

“It’s open ended.”

“I’m sorry.”

Dave glanced over and caught the smile tugging at the corners of Aaron’s lips. “You’re not.”

That made Aaron laugh. “Well, if it makes you feel any better-”

“I doubt it will.”

“I think I took Spencer on a date.” He finished as Dave’s finger was on the trigger.

Dave’s next shot went wide, comically putting a hole through the head of Aaron’s target. Placing his gun down, he turned around. “You _think_?”

Aaron’s eyes were on the headshot on his target. “He turned up at my house and Jack was gone and...” He turned back to his friend. “We were talking, and we hung out a bit and went to dinner and he went home and the next morning… The next morning, I realized that the whole thing had all the elements of a date.”

He tried to brush off his friend’s worry. “More like two friends hanging out. That’s all.”

“We went to that arcade I told you about and ended up having pizza there.”

“Still don’t hear date.”

“We got milkshakes after.”

“Still nothin’.”

“I paid.”

“Now I hear the date.”

“How the hell did I take Spencer on a date?”

“Well… He _is_ a good-looking young man.”

“Dave.”

“What?”

He sighed. “I have been turning this over in my head pretty much every moment since then. I am now epically thankful Garcia set me up with recording software for all my client meetings because I can’t tell you a single person I have talked with lately or why.”

“Why?”

“Why what?”

“Why have you been going over it?”

“At first it was a moment by moment replay, trying to figure out if Reid had read it the same way I was. Then I realized I can’t just assume I know what was going through his head. When he turned up, he just mentioned missing hanging out, we talked about some books and…”

“And after that?”

“And after that I wondered if I would ruin everything by calling him and asking him on a real date.”

A grin blossomed across Dave’s face. His personal life might have been in the freezer, but it just meant he could live a little through his friend. “That’s exactly what you should do!”

==

==

JJ sat down in a chair across from the desk Spencer was grading papers at. “So.” She waited for him to glance up. “Morgan stopped by the other day with Savanah. He mentioned something about you.”

“Oh, did he now.”

She leaned in, her tone losing some of the teasing. “Did you ever stop by and see Hotch?”

“I did.” He gave up trying to work and dropped his pen. “When I went around, Jack wasn’t there. He asked me to go play skee-ball with him.”

“That sounds fun.”

“It was.” He grinned. “He’s really competitive, which we all know, but his impeccable aim does not translate to throwing a ball up a ramp at all.”

 

“So, you won.”

“Repeatedly. The loser had to by dinner and milkshakes.” He trailed off, suddenly thinking.

“What, Spence?”

“I just realized, once we made that bet, his shots got worse and worse… But that doesn’t make sense. Why would he throw a game?”

“Are you sure he did?”

“Well, no. But it wouldn’t make sense that he’d get progressively worse like that either.”

She smirked. “I’ve been on dates like that.”

“It wasn’t a date.”

“Okay.” She leaned back in her seat. “I’m glad to hear though that you got to spend time with him.”

==

==

Morgan finished double checking the supplies in the bed of his truck before heading inside. He’d have an early start tomorrow, but it was worth it to have an entire afternoon and evening off to spend with Savanah. Locking up, he climbed the steps and headed inside. He was almost certain he couldn’t imagine spending his life with anyone else, they spent almost every night together as it was, and he was itching to take her back to Chicago to meet his family.

He was almost to his bedroom to shower and change when his phone rang, the name on the ID surprised him. “Hey, JJ. How are you?”

“I’m good, we’re all good. How are you and Savanah?”

“Good.” He grinned. “I’m thinking of making some big plans.”

“Yeah? You think Savanah’s the one?”

“I do. She’s great.”

“Yes, she is. I keep meaning to call and invite her to a girls’ night. I’m waiting on Em to get back from England.”

“Well, call her anyway, she had a blast the last time.”

“I will. Listen, I called you for a reason. Did you know Reid had gone through with your prodding to meet up with Hotch?”

==

==

It had taken thirteen days, but finally Dave was sitting in his bedroom as Emily recounted her trip from the shower. _Un_ fortunately, she was getting dressed again once she was done and heading out with JJ and the others for a night out. He wasn’t about to be unhappy with her spending time with her friends, but the small, unreasonable, part of him buried deep down inside was begging to have a very uncharacteristic tantrum about the whole thing.

Emily stepped out of the shower and grabbed a towel before dripping her way over to where Dave was staring off into space. “Hey.”

“Hey.” He looked up at her, pulling her damp body against him.

“I’m not planning on being out late. JJ has some news to catch us all up on and Savanah’s going to be there. She says Savanah also has something to share as well, it’s going to be a proper gossip meeting.”

“Do you have anything to take and share?” He pressed a kiss to her stomach.

“I didn’t, no.”

“Want something?” He tracked another kiss a bit lower.

Emily hummed. “What were you thinking?” He next sound was a shriek of surprise as Dave stood quickly and turned them, dropping her onto the bed as he kneeled between her knees. “I’ve had something in mind for two weeks.” He began pressing kisses from her left knee up her thigh and then backed up to do the right. Taking in her center, he blew a soft stream of air that made her arch back. “I realize now, Em, that I want you fully, whatever you’re willing to let me have. I haven’t been able to think straight since you left.”

“C’mere.” She curled a finger and watched as he stood and then leaned in, covering her body with his. Emily could feel the hot line of him pressing through his jeans. “I’ve been thinking too… I want you to have all of me, David. I want you to make your own mark on me.” She cut off as his lips crashed into hers. It felt wonderful, the weight of him covering her, the way he moved, teasing them both just a bit. Her phone beeping a reminder broke them apart. “I have to go before they start calling.” She held him close. “But I’m not going to be late, we have to finish this.”

Dave eased back and stood, watching as her eyes dipped to his hard-on bulging in his jeans and then back up again. “Go. Have fun. I’ll survive a few more hours.”

==

Dave hadn’t realized he’d finally drifted off in his oversized chair, the book he’d been reading having tumbled somewhere on the floor, until Emily was easing onto his lap, straddling him. “You’re back.”

“And sober enough to get to ask you if I could ride you right here.” She kissed the stubble on his cheeks.

He could faintly smell the booze, it wasn’t strong enough to make him want to question it further to be sure. He’d seen Emily drunk a time or two and hung over a few more, he could tell she was being honest. “I’m not going to say no.” Hands were already working the elastic of his pajamas, finding the half-hardness he’d been sporting all evening in anticipation. When her warm hands wrapped around him, his prick began to fill. “Shit.”

Emily stroked him carefully. “Part of me wished I would have called and cancelled, I kept getting distracted by the thought of what your cock would have looked like hard and hanging out of your open jeans.”

“Maybe you can find out sometime.”

“I plan too.”

Deciding he had waited an appropriate length of time, Dave began working her shirt off her, exposing her breasts which he massaged, leaning forward to take one and then the other into his mouth.

“If you have any objections to chair sex, your window to object is closing.”

He tipped his chin up to meet her eyes. “No objections.” Her next move left him speechless.

Emily slipped backward to stand on her feet, one hand still wrapped around him, as she shimmied and lost her underwear, moving to also lose the skirt.

“No, leave it.” He smirked.

Emily climbed back on the chair, lining herself up and then sinking onto him. Bracing herself on his shoulders, she let Dave guide her up and down, setting the pace and leading them. The room was filled with their gasps and pants, when she was getting close, his hand moved and a thumb pressed against her clit, causing fireworks to erupt behind her eyelids. She kept on riding him until the shocks coursing through her body subsided and she began to get sensitive. Still, he was hard inside her. “We can move to the bedroom.” She whispered into his ear.

“No, hold on. Lift up.” He urged her up until just the head of his prick was inside her folds. With his free hand, he stroked himself, desperately willing himself toward completion.

Moving herself just on his head, Emily began to whisper in his ear again, describing what she wanted to do to him eventually. When the hand on her hip squeezed, she let herself drop down on him until her was coming inside her, his hand caught awkwardly under her ass.

==

Dave placed two mugs of coffee on the nightstand and crawled back into bed. They were both still naked, a condition he hoped would not be changed anytime soon. “Good morning, beautiful.” He murmured into her ear.

Emily rolled over under the covers, smiling up at him as the smell of coffee wafted around the room. “You brought me coffee in bed, how sweet.”

Burrowing beneath the duvet alongside her, he let his hands wander. “I might even be enticed to let you drink it while it’s hot.”

“I might be enticed to not care about drinking it cold.” She giggled.

==

An hour later, the pair were sitting at the kitchen table eating breakfast. “So.” Emily started. “I learned the news last night.”

“Oh?” He arched one brow.

“Savanah says Morgan is planning a trip to take her to meet his mom and sisters.”

“Interesting.”

“Yep. He’s never brought a girl home to meet them before.” She sipped her fresh mug of coffee. “Penelope and Kendrick are apparently talking about moving in together. He’s taking her on another trip, this time to a place in France.”

“He’s a good guy, I like him.”

“Me too, he makes her happy and lets her be quirky and according to Pen, he makes her life easier by custom making these little apple fruit things that aren’t actually on his menu, but Hotch loves.”

Dave grinned. “I heard about those, but he acted like the were sold in the shop.”

“They were, as a special.”

“Interesting.”

“I thought so.” She carried on. “JJ and Will are in a good spot now, the boys are good, but apparently Will made a comment she probably wasn’t supposed to hear when he was talking to him mom and mentioned really wanting a little girl…”

“How does JJ feel about that?”

“She said, and I quote here, how much harder can two in diapers at once be?” She shrugged. “She’s seriously considering bringing it up but pretending she didn’t know and seeing how he reacts. But that wasn’t her big news.”

“It wasn’t?” It sounded like plenty big news to him.

“No, her big news is about Reid. Apparently, he had a boys’ night or whatever and _to JJ_ the after report sounded more like date than bro-night. So, she wants to have a big cookout at her and Will’s place and try and play matchmaker.”

Dave placed his fork down. “Wait, who is she setting him up with?”

She chuckled. “Hotch, can you believe that?” Emily shook her head at the idea. “I think she’s finally gone off the matchmaker deep end and now she’s gotten Pen on board, all we can do now is stand back and wait. She looked up at him after her next bite. “Hold on, what did I miss?”

“I’m probably not supposed to say anything-”

“We have officially consummated the contract that protects pillow talk.”

“I’m not sure that’s how that’s supposed to work.”

“Spill, Dave.”

“Aaron came to me. He was worried it had accidentally been a date and then was worried about the risks of asking Spencer out properly.”

“So, Aaron is interested?” She watched him nod. “This plan shouldn’t be too hard then.”


	8. Eighteen Months

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I somehow missed a chapter! I have added in a chapter 4 that I'd somehow missed, so there are 2 new chapters today.

It took JJ much longer than she’d hoped to get a get-together organized. But finally, she was watching everyone she considered family mingling around the house and back yard, the boys playing in the grass. With a small amount of prodding, she’d gotten Will to suggest Jack sleep over, sorting out that concern.

From there, it was just a case of the rest of them continuously plying both men with enough alcohol to make them lose their nerves and knock down their walls. She was surprised when even Rossi got in on the action and when he was the one, many hours later, who looked at Spencer listing sideways on the couch and suggested to his long-time friend that he should walk the younger man back to his own home across the street.

No one at the party saw either of them again before they fell asleep.

==

Helping Spencer up the stairs, Aaron took in what he could of the house, a small dog trotting along nosily behind them. Finding the right bedroom on the third attempt, he guided the other man to the bed. “You’ll be more comfortable undressed.”

“Mm, yeah.” Spencer did his best to try and work the buttons of his shirt. “There’s too many.” He frowned and then giggled. “Does your shirt have this many buttons?”

“No. Here, let me help you.” Aaron knelt down, focusing on the task at hand until Spencer was half naked. “Do you want pajamas?”

“No.” He toed off his shoes and then socks. “I’m warm, no pajamas.” Spencer stood, swaying dangerously as he fought his pants for freedom. “Will you stay?”

“What?”

“Will you stay? I… I don’t want you to go back.”

“Okay.” He tried not to think too hard as Spencer’s pants dropped to the floor, leaving the slimmer man in only a pair of boxers. “Okay.” Carefully, he began to undress, taking more care to lay his things neatly on a chair. “Okay.” He said a third time, mostly to himself.

Spencer crawled into the bed, watching as Aaron stripped to his own boxers before rounding to the other side and crawling in as well. “G’night Aaron.”

“Night, Spencer.”

==

Waking in the early morning light, it took several moments for the memory of the night before to creep back in. He was in Spencer’s bed… with Spencer… who he was currently spooned against.

“Mm… you stayed.” Spencer’s voice was rough with sleep still.

“Yes.” A hand work around his waist, pressing against his abs before sliding downward, without consciously thinking about it, Aaron shifted his top leg back, allowing the hand to work its way down until it was palming his length. He shuddered. A kiss pressed into his shoulder as the hand moved again, this time finding its way beneath his waistband, pushing it out of the way as flesh met warm flesh, Spencer’s thin had wrapping itself around his heavy prick. Aaron couldn’t help the slight thrust of his hips. _He wanted this._ The thought made him shudder again and he gasped as he realized he could feel his balls trying to draw up already.

Spencer whispered softly into his back, shushing him as he pressed another kiss there. He could feel the tension, could feel the shallow breathing. Carefully, he slid his hand down and back up again, surprised when the man in his arms shuddered hard, coming with a silent cry into the covers.

After a moment, Aaron twisted to see Spencer’s face. “I…”

“Was that okay?”

“Okay? God, Spencer…” He couldn’t find the words, but didn’t need to as lips hungrily met his, a tongue insisting on entrance. Aaron couldn’t help thinking about that hand, wondering what else it could do, what this mouth on his was capable of.

Spencer broke away for air. “May I… May I fuck you? Please, please may I fuck you?” He longed to see Aaron come again, see his face this time as he did. He knew Aaron was a passionate man and now he was beside himself wanting to see what he looked like when he came. “Aaron…”

“Yes.”

Spencer rearranged himself in order to get naked, digging around his side table for lube while Aaron shed his own clothes, using his shirt to try and clear up some of his mess. Opening the condom that had been in the drawer as well, Spencer turned back to Aaron before carefully sliding it on, watching the way the other man’s eyes never left his cock. Filling his palm with lube, Spencer gently stroked the side of Aaron’s thigh with his clean hand. “One your back or on your knees?”

“I… I don’t know.”

“On your knees might be more comfortable, but you have to be able to hold the position… On your back, I can see you.”

“On my back then… Will you help me through it?”

“It?”

“You… fucking me.” His eyes dipped a moment in embarrassment.

“I’ll be with you the whole way.” Moving finally, Spencer settled himself between Aaron’s knees. “Put a pillow under your hips.” He directed, helping Aaron get it in the right position. “Now just relax.” He slicked his cock up before using a finger to press lube into Aaron’s hole.

Aaron flinched and pulled up, tense. “That’s…” He wasn’t sure how to word it.

“I was going to get you lubed up to make it easier.” Spencer waited a moment. “I don’t have to.”

Aaron shook his head.

“Okay. I won’t do it if you don’t want me to.” Spencer swallowed, wondering if this wasn’t about to blow up in his face. At least they didn’t work together anymore, if it did, he wouldn’t have to then work with Aaron day in and day out afterward. Lining himself up. Spencer pressed the head of his prick against Aaron’s opening, watching as the other man tensed and then began to relax, his eyes slipping shut as his mouth opened slightly. Once his head was past the ring of muscles, he stilled. “Does it hurt?”

“No.” It came out as a gasp. “Just…full. But not hurting.”

“If it hurts, you need to tell me, it means I need to change something.”

“’Kay. Please just…move.” He had to force himself to breathe. Then, slowly, the cock splitting him into two resumed its journey further into his depths. He could feel himself getting fuller, the feeling making him spread his knees further and pull them up, trying to make space. It felt as if Spencer went any further, that his dick would prevent him from being able to breathe entirely. The feel of Spencer’s balls against his ass made him open his eyes, the younger man was so close now.

“I’m all the way in, Aaron.”

“Oh.” He breathed.

Carefully pulling out, Spencer sank in again, watching Aaron’s face the whole time for any micro expression of discomfort. Slowly, he began to find a rhythm, the first time he hit Aaron’s prostate, he knew by the surprised cry and change in breathing. “Is it okay?”

“Yes.” He really wanted to open his eyes and stare up at Spencer, but he couldn’t seem to make them cooperate. Lifting his hands, he tried to figure out the appropriate place for them, but he had no real experience to go on, never having been the bottom in any encounter before. Instead, his hands raised up as if to take hold, then stopped, hanging in mid-air in their aborted journey.

Holding tight to strong hips, Spencer took in every part of the other man, the way his face had relaxed, the noises he made, and the way he seemed to be losing himself in the moment. Guiding one hand, he wrapped the fingers around the man’s own prick. Forcing Aaron’s eyes open in surprise when he felt that it was hard again and leaking.

“Stroke yourself, Aaron. Use your other hand to massage your balls.” He watched him comply.

It was heady, having Spencer buried inside him. The threat of pain was gone now and there was just the rising tide feeling of being touched so intimately over washing the earlier feeling of too-fullness. His muscles were still sending his brain mixed signals about what was happening down there, but he trusted Spencer… The thought slammed into him with a force that had him arching off the bed, head bending back as he near-convulsed. What felt like an eternity later, he sagged back down, string up at the open look on Spencer’s face, the raw look of some too-big emotion, and then the sight of Spencer’s face morphing, stretching taught as the rest of his body followed and then Aaron could feel it, even with the condom, could feel Spencer filling him, his rapid thrusts massaging his prostate in a way it had never experienced before, urging his prick into action as it pulsed it’s appreciation across his hip, not even doing the curtesy of hardening again. The idea worried Aaron for a moment, he was getting older, but he wasn’t _that_ old yet, until he lifted his head to look down and realized he’d already come, his stomach was coated in his own fluids. Three times in a morning…see, his brain told itself, he wasn’t old at all.

Carefully, Spencer pulled himself free, holding one of Aaron’s legs in place so he didn’t collapse yet. He looked him over for any signs of injury. “I think you’re okay. I’m going to go start cleaning up, you can join me in the shower if you want.”

“Yeah…” Alone on the bed, Aaron allowed himself to take a moment to relax. “I can’t believe that happened.” He stated mostly to himself.

Spencer froze in the doorway at the soft words. Swallowing back tears, he quickly continued out of view and began clearing up. Condom disposed of, he turned the shower on and waited for the water to warm up, trying to keep from thinking about what they’d just done. He hadn’t even made it out of the room and Aaron was already regretting it. He was surprised when Aaron appeared several minutes later just as he was stepping under the spray.

“Spencer?” His voice was hesitant.

“I’ll be out in a few minutes, Hotch.”

Aaron’s brows furrowed. “Hotch?” He pulled the glass door open. “Spencer?”

“Look, I’m sorry, we don’t have to mention it to anyone, and I won’t bring it up again.”

“What?”

“I…” He finally turned around and faced him. “I heard you as I came in here.”

“…Oh.” Aaron glanced to the bed and back again. “I think you may have misunderstood that.”

He waited, then prompted. “So, explain.”

“I’ve spent since our last…date, trying to figure out how to ask you on a proper one. I was afraid you wouldn’t reciprocate my feelings and I would lose you more than this whole new life had already caused.”

“You wanted to ask me on a date?”

Aaron nodded. “I was still trying to work that out so this…” He waved his hand between them. “It’s a little hard to wrap my head around.” A slight shiver ran through him. “May I come in?”

“Oh, yeah.” He tugged him in, shutting the door again so the stall would warm back up. “Can I ask you a question?” He waited until he got a nod. “Have you ever- What that your first time receiving?”

“Yes.”

It was Spencer’s turn to nod. “Was it ah-”

“It wasn’t my first time with a man. But… There was no penetration either way then.”

“Oh. Okay.” Neither spoke as they washed themselves clean. “Aaron… I’ll go start breakfast and let you get dressed. I doubt my clothes would fit you but there are new boxers in a pack in the top of my closet.” His mind touched on why Aaron couldn’t wear his own. “Take your time, you might feel a bit sore today.” He stepped out of the shower only to be stopped by a hand around his wrist. “Aaron?”

His breath caught as he tried to put his thoughts into words. “You might have to push a bit.”

“Okay, I’ll push.”

==

==

Dave had shooed Emily out to have some fun and give him a little peace. Their relationship was definitely finding a new rhythm they both enjoyed, a perfect balance of their own endeavors and time spent together.

An hour after she’d left, Dave was watching Aaron pull into the drive and climb out of his car. “You never came back to the party the other day.” He stated by way of greeting.

Aaron blushed but didn’t bother to comment.

“Anything you’d like to share with the class?”

He gave his most put-out sigh. “It would seem that Spencer and I are now dating.”

“About bloody time.” Dave led him into the kitchen for drinks. “Dating or _dating_?”

“Really?” He arched a brow. “The latter.”

“So, you’ve already crossed that line a bit then.”

“A bit? The whole game had been played and the teams have had the afterparty already.”

Dave couldn’t hold in the burst of laughter at his friend’s candor. “And you didn’t freak out on him then.”

“No.”


	9. Three Years

Penelope giggled at the sight of Kendrick trying to clean up the mess of flour in their kitchen. He had been spending all of his off time trying to perfect a new pie crust and the attempt was only marginally closer than the last dozen.

A dimple-popping smile was shot her way. “Keep giggling and I’ll make you clean it up.”

“You can’t! You know you wouldn’t dare go against doctor’s advice and make me move around. You heard him, the bed and my couch for the next six weeks.” Her hands absently rubbed her round belly.

Abandoning the mess for now, Kendrick joined his girlfriend on the couch. “You’re right. You and baby mean too much to me.”

She shifted a little. “A part of me thinks it’s not fair that I’m on bed rest. I mean, Jayje never had it with any of her three and the first one she was still running around being a bad-ass FBI chick.”

“I know, Sweetie, but everyone’s different.” He lifted one of her hands and kissed it. “But you aren’t totally bored, right?” It was his biggest worry, one that he’d voiced to both Will and Aaron one evening. He simply couldn’t imagine Penny sitting still for that long.

“No, I’m not. Hotch keeps me busy with remote work, that helps.”

“I’m sure it does.”

“And JJ is going to bring the kids by this weekend. That’ll help, seeing them. Oh! And she’s bringing bags of baby stuff for us to go through after the baby is born.”

“That’s nice of her.”

“Yeah. She told me that if I just found out what I’m having, it would only be half the stuff…”

“I know, you want the surprise.”

“Yeah. I do.”

“Well.” He stood. “I’m going to go de-flour our kitchen.” He walked away to the sound of her snickering behind his back.

==

==

Derek drummed his fingers on the arm of the chair. They needed to leave in the next ten minutes to make their reservations, but Savanah wasn’t home yet. Patience wearing out, he sent her a simple text asking if she was okay but got no response. Drawing a calming breath, he tried a call, still nothing.

Standing, he paced the room, and then the next room, until he’d done a lap of their entire house.

The clock ticked over, mocking him with its knowledge that the reservations were now a wash.

They’d have to wait until at least tomorrow now to get married.

But he’d learned that sometimes that was the life of being the other half to an ER doctor.

Now he understood why the BAU had been so full of broken relationships.

The waiting… It sucked.

==

==

Wil l had perfected a sort of side gallop to get from one end of their backyard swing set to the other. It was a move born, as so many are, out of necessity. Because the only time Michael and the twins, born fifteen months after him, were happy and still at the same time was when the three were all in their swings. Noah, at a whopping nine months old, was already doing his level best to keep up with two-year-old Michael and much older Henry by walking and even running along behind them with his wide, toddling gate, but little Rose, she was still content to be carted around like a princess. Will was pretty sure it was something they would regret later.

He’d taken a position change when JJ’d announced she was pregnant again so soon, he wanted all the time he could with his kids. The position change had then become a switch to a more part-time position when they’d learned there would be two.

He was still amazed every day at how his wife juggled it all without breaking a sweat. He’d mentioned it to her once, in awe of her skills, but she’d just shrugged, brushing it off with a comment about kids being easier than reporters or serial killers.

==

==

Emily was sitting on the back patio, watching their new dog, Bella, gallop around the yard. She laughed when the dog tried to grab a stick mid lope and ended up rolling in a summersault, flopping in the grass to just stop and pant, tongue lolling out. She looked up when Dave appeared and settled into a chair beside her. “I still think there’s something wrong with her.”

“Nah.” He smiled. “She’s just happy to have a home.”

“You’re probably right.”

“Adopting her, giving her a home, it was the right choice.”

“Yeah, we have so much to give her. Maybe we should go back and adopt another one.”

“We could.” His tone made her look up again. “I was thinking, now, hear me out before you argue.” He put his hands up. “What if beside adopting another dog… We adopted something else?”

“Something else?”

“Some _one_ else.”

“Dave?”

He sighed. “I don’t know… I was out with the guys a few weeks ago and there’s Kendrick all excited about the upcoming baby and Will and Aaron giving advice from their experiences and even Spencer offered some stuff and…” He shook his head. “I guess a part of me kind of wanted a bit more of that experience…” His mind wandered back to that day, the recent visit, and subsequent passing, of Caroline had brought it all rushing back to the surface and spilling out in Emily’s arms.

Rising from her seat, Emily moved to hold him close, pulling him to her chest before stroking her fingers through is hair. “I get it, David, I really do.”

“But, no. Right?”

“Can I reserve the right to think about it a while?” She pressed a kiss to his hair. “We’ve never talked about kids. We’re here and then gone in a minute, we aren’t predictable like they are. And I thought we both enjoyed that about us.”

“We, I do.” He turned his face up to hers.

“Let’s put a pin in it, okay? Maybe there’s another way to fulfill that feeling?”

Dave nodded.

“I would do anything to make you happy.” She gave him another kiss.

“Just not this.”

“I just need some time to sit with the idea first.”

“I don’t want to ever lose you.”

“You won’t.”

==

==

Spencer stood in his living room. He’d just pushed a frightened Jack and an anxious Oso out to play in the back yard and his attention was split between keeping an ear on the distraught pair and handling the crisis still happening inside the house.

Eighteen months they’d been together and, looking back, Spencer could see the first hints of a problem seeping in shortly after. “Aaron.” He kept his hands raised in a submissive position. “You know me, it’s Spencer. I’m not going to hurt you.”

“It’s too late for help, it’s too late for me.” His words were slurred, mashed together in a manner than made him sound nothing like the Aaron that Spencer knew.

“It’s not too late.” He watched as Aaron absently swung the knife. There was something perhaps very slightly reassuring about the fact it was a knife instead of a gun. He wasn’t sure he ever wanted to see a day where he had to stare down Aaron Hotchner with a gun while unarmed. Especially in this new, altered state. “We can go somewhere and talk about it, Aaron.”

“They died because of me!” He roared.

“No, they didn’t.”

Aaron lunged, Spencer grabbed the wrist of the hand holding the knife.

“Aaron, please.” He struggled to keep hold of the physically larger man. “Please hear me, please remember I would never hurt you. Please come back to me.”

He didn’t speak, but just went limp in Spencer’s arms, waiting until the younger man eased his hold before tackling him to the ground, holding the knife to his chest. “I trusted you and you killed them! You made me blame myself!”

Spencer gasped as the knife bit into the skin covering his sternum. “Aaron!” He cried out. “Please!” Before he could say more, the noise in the house was drowned out by the sound of Jack crying out at the sight he’d just walked in on.

The shouting startled Hotch, who turned, swiping the blade at the newest threat.

As metal met flesh, Spencer would never be able to determine whose screams that followed rang the loudest.


	10. (After) The End

Walking through the halls of the FBI Academy, he remembered a conversation over three years prior. A conversation about leaving the FBI and leaving the nightmares behind. For a time, the nightmares had gone away. He’d found his love, had experienced things in his life he’d never thought he’d get. He’d become a full-time parent, a home and pet owner.

Returning to the FBI as a professor, it was something he’d done reluctantly, his new bosses had been understanding of his reasons.

He still had the support of his family, the ones who promised they would always be there for him no matter what.

And so far, they had.

Morgan took the time each week to drive him out to the long-term hospital for the day and JJ, she was there, waiting by the phone to listen during every trip back home.

Rossi and Emily visited on other days, sometimes together and sometimes separate, depending on their schedules. Spencer had been floored at how fast, after the incident, that Rossi had managed to get Jack into their care, claiming that in the short term, Reid was best suited to dealing with Hotch. They managed to become Jack’s guardians, allowing Jack to be with Spencer however often the pair wished, which was pretty much all the time.

Jack had managed to walk away with little more than a few stitches and some nightmares, but the scar was quickly fading from both his flesh and his memory.

Stepping into his new office, Spencer shook off the wandering and drew in a deep breath. He would use all his knowledge, all of his life experience, to honor Aaron’s legacy and he prayed, like he did every day, that eventually, he would one day be able to bring him back home.


End file.
